New police officer resigns

After nine months on the job, Yellow Springs police officer Jeff Kimpan resigned on Dec. 19 from his position with the force. His resignation was effective immediately.

Kimpan had been on probationary status since he was hired in April, as is typical of all new officers. He was quick to respond to any calls, no matter what they were, he said this week in an interview from home in Bellbrook. And during his tenure in the village he ended up helping numerous people and youth in traffic accidents, drug overdoses, an armed robbery at Young’s Jersey Dairy, and domestic violence incidents.

So Kimpan has been surprised to find since coming to Yellow Springs from a previous post as an officer in Montgomery County, he has felt “unappreciated” by the department. Under both former Chief Art Scott and current Chief Anthony Pettiford, he has been disciplined or criticized for incidents he felt were minor and forgiveable for a relatively new officer, he said. And he is also surprised that other officers didn’t rally to keep him here.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve here, but I’m deeply saddened by the way I was treated,” he said.

Chief Pettiford and Village Manager Laura Curliss said they could not comment publicly about the personnel matter.

Kimpan was relatively new to policing, having served a year and a half in Montgomery County, his first position after graduating from police academy. Prior to law enforcement, Kimpan spent 16 years running his own commercial and residential construction business in the region. He said previously that he greatly enjoyed working in the village and was committed to preventive policing strategies, such as offering rides home to people leaving the bars at night.

The local department currently employs six full-time officers, including Josh Knapp, who was hired last month, and current officers Naomi Penrod, Patrick Roegner, David Meister, Brian Carlson and Tom Sexton. Chief Pettiford told the News last week that the department, which currently employs five part-time officers, plans to hire two more part-timers to attain the goal of having two officers on duty at all times.